At half past two, Theo drove us to the San Diego Law Library.

The quiet reading room was lined with tall oak bookcases and smelled of polished wood and old legal paper.

We found the historical volumes of the Aldridge Luxe corporate governance charters shelved on the third floor.

Theo pulled down a thick black book stamped in gold lettering from thirty years earlier.

We laid the book open under the reading lamp.

The pages had yellowed at the edges, but the type was still clear.